The Shadows Three
by dentedsky
Summary: Zack is an agent of the Tsviets, codename Zero. When he comes up from Deep Ground he meets someone from his past. ZackxCloud yaoi, spoilers for DoC.
1. Zero

**The Shadows Three  
**_Zack is an agent of the Tsviets, codename Zero. When he comes up from Deep Ground he meets someone from his past.  
Rated M for violence, Zack/Cloud shounen-ai, spoilers for Dirge of Cerberus_

**File 1: Zero**

He had nothing but a mission.

It had been a few days since the end of Omega, and the remains of the WEAPON littered what was left of Midgar. The sky was painted gold and red: it was dawn. The light hit the shards of metal and mythril, creating a landscape of poison stars. He stood amongst the debris and saw that even parts of Midgar's unliveable structure had remained, but nothing much else.

It was cold, it had snowed, and the bitter wind ruffled his dark hair. But the air was fresh like nothing he had tasted for a long time. He had been released from his Deep Ground prison and grave by climbing the levels of the Deep Ground facilities. At some point he had hit his head and fallen unconscious, only to wake to an even larger cave in – but he made it out eventually. Only to find that they had _failed..._

His name was Zero, and he had a mission. Nero had given him this mission before going after Vincent Valentine. His task was to –

Zero winced.

A face flashed across his memory. Young, blonde, blue-eyed; he smiled nervously and his voice echoed _I come from the country._

Where?

Nibelheim.

It had been several days since the order had been given, so Zero needed to check the Deep Ground data network for any new information that may have been posted. But, observing the quiet war-strewn land, it looked like nothing much, let along a computer system, survived. Except for...

There was a sound, and a figure in the distance. They were small, no taller than a child, climbing over the dead parts of the city, coming towards him. As it got closer, Zero made out their words.

"Hello, hello?" said the child. "Can you please help me? I'm lost!"

Zero watched it run up to him and knew his own eyes were glowing bright orange. He hesitated – it was a human child, but a human none-the-less. Should he kill it? He reached behind him and touched the handle of his large sword as the child stopped in front of him, breathing heavily from the long run.

The human child had its hands on its knees while it caught its breath. Then it looked up at Zero with bright, hazel eyes. "Hello, can you help me, please? I'm lost."

Zero glanced to the side then down. He squatted so he could be eye-level with the child. "I broke my phone; do you have one I could borrow?"

The child pouted and shook his head.

"What about a computer? Do you know where I can find one that is hooked up to the DG network?"

The child, still pouting, screwed his face up in confusion and shook his head again.

Zero snorted and rubbed his chin. "Well then, little human child, I suppose we are both lost."

The child grinned suddenly and grabbed Zero's arm. "That's okay! We can be friends, and we'll get home, you'll see. My name's Denzel, what's yours?"

* * *

An hour later they were still walking the jagged landscape – against the horizon their silhouettes were of a tall, well built man, and a short child hopping from uneven ground to uneven ground. The peace of this metropolis was broken by two fighter planes whose hard metal wings reflected the sharp white light of the morning sun. Their beacons lit upon the two figures, turning their worlds to fearful sepia. It was the human they were after – whether it be a young boy or a full grown adult the point was that the Deep Soldiers were desperate to finish their war with the human occupants slaughtered to bloody dust.

It seemed in slow motion at first. Zero threw Denzel into his arms and with the reflexes of a Project S CLONE. Zero had no idea that he could hold such a human emotion as blood-chilling fear for another life, and a life that seemed so insignificant at that. He ran away from the missile and jumped from a short cliff just as it hit, the area thrown into fire like a golden cloud. The sound was immense, so loud Zero barely heard Denzel scream. Zero threw the child under a broken cement shaft, then threw himself bodily upon him like a shield.

The second plane dropped another bomb just near them. Zero closed his eyes and curled himself further around the shaking child. The fragments and heat of the bomb ripped through his armour and skin, so he was torn upon his arms and back.

The planes continued on their course away from them, but Zero did not move for several minutes. The child was shaking violently and whimpering as if it was having a fit. Zero pressed a hand to Denzel's small chest to still his quick breaths. There flashed a memory in Zero's mind, seemingly so misplaced that Zero was unsure if it was just his imagination. He had held someone like this before, his hair blonde and his face desperate. The blonde's lips moved – what had he been saying? _Zack, Zack what's happening?_

You're awake? he'd asked.

The blonde turned in his arms and kissed him quickly. _How long have we got?_

Zero had held him tighter. _Last time it had been no longer than five minutes._ Zero's breath had caught on the last word, just as the blonde's blue eyes faded to Mako green and his body went slack.

It seemed less a memory and more a whisper, Zero thought as he pulled Denzel to sit upright. The boy turned sharply in Zero's arms and looked at him with large, tear-filled eyes. "You... you saved me."

Zero shrugged. "C'mon, kiddo, get up, we have to keep walking."

They had been walking no longer than a quarter of an hour before another airship approached from the skies. Zero once again took Denzel to crouch in the shadows, though Denzel was less scared this time. The child and the soldier watched the ship fly in their direction. It was larger and more complex than a fighter plane – it was more like a stray monster someone had summoned. Zero did not recognise it, but Denzel did.

Denzel ran from their hiding spot and towards the aircraft, waving his arms above his head and shouting, "Hey! Wait, hey!"

Zero saw the name of this ship as it landed: the Shera. A man slid down the ladder and started running towards Denzel. Zero couldn't see his face due to the heat distortion in the air from the gas of the airship, but he could see that the man was blonde and his clothes were dark. Zero got up and walked towards them. He saw the man kneel on one knee to catch the running child in a fierce embrace.

* * *

Cloud held Denzel tight and breathed a sigh of relief, burying his nose in the boy's dirty hair. Though he cursed himself for relaxing so quickly, as he had not realised there was a man in full Deep Ground uniform walking steadily towards them until the man had stopped about a metre away.

Morning had come and the sun was bright behind the obviously strong male figure; Cloud could not see his face. Cloud unsheathed his sword in a flash, the tip of blade staring the man in the chin – well, that was what Cloud had been aiming for, except the man was just as fast as Cloud, and had withdrawn his own sword in a defensive stance. Cloud's blade slid against the flat surface. He glared.

"Cloud, please don't hurt him!" Denzel shouted with a gasp. The DG soldier shuffled his feet a little. Cloud narrowed his eyes as now the DG soldier's face was hidden behind his sword.

"Denzel," said Cloud sharply.

"He saved my life, Cloud! Only a moment ago." Denzel hummed in frustration. "He's my friend, Cloud. Can he come with us?"

Cloud blinked and made a surprised noise in the back of his throat. He held his sword steady as he glanced down at Denzel's anxious face. He grabbed the boy's shoulder and pushed him behind. He watched the still figure steadily as he took a step back, sword lowered to his side. The other soldier sheathed his sword as Cloud squinted a little in the sun. "Let me see your face," he requested softly.

Cloud swallowed thickly as the DG soldier turned to the side. Cloud walked round to see him.

He bit his lip. The sword dropped to the uneven ground. The other looked upon Cloud's face, his violet eyes moving across his features, taking in every detail.

Three WRO men had come down. One held Denzel by the hand, and the other two had their guns aimed at the stranger. "Mr Strife, sir," said one.

Cloud did not hear. He whispered, "_Zack._"

"Mr Strife, sir!" the WRO officer repeated.

Cloud exhaled shakily and tore his gaze away towards the officer speaking. "Yes?"

The officer eyed the DG soldier warily and said, "Mr Tuesti asks if you are okay, sir."

"Yes, I..." He looked back at Zack, and tried to face this beauty without shielding his eyes. Zack's face was a little older, his expression a little more hard. His hair was short (but longer than Cloud's) and spiked. He was healthy and muscular, his complexion smooth and slightly tanned.

"Yes, I'm fine," Cloud told the WRO officer. "Please let Reeve know that we're taking a Deep Soldier into custody."

* * *

"So what's so special about this fucker, anyway?" Cid asked, arms crossed. He, Cloud and Yuffie were in the meeting room on the Shera. "The last thing I need is another one of them Deep Ground assholes on my ship."

"Don't be so crude, Cid," Yuffie admonished, hands on her hips. "He could be friendly, like Shelke."

Cid grunted and lit a cigarette. "Fuckin' don't trust her, neither."

Cloud was leaning against the wall. He shuffled, torn, and glanced at the large monitor. It showed the live surveillance of Zack's cell. Zack was sitting on the cell bed. He looked up, into the camera, and seemed to stare right into Cloud's eyes.

He gasped.

"What do you think, Cloud?" asked Yuffie.

"I think we should wait for Reeve and Shelke to get here," he answered.

It was Zack, Cloud thought, it had to be. He looked just like him, only less lively than he was so many years ago. But then there was Denzel's behaviour...

Only moments before, Cloud had been holding Denzel by the shoulders. "Why are you locking him up?" Denzel had whined. "He's my friend! He saved my life!"

"It's just a precaution," Cloud had told him softly. "We need to... keep him safe until we have more information." This statement meant nothing to Denzel, who just squirmed angrily. "Don't complain," Cloud reprimanded. "You should go have a bath and brush your teeth, and then go straight to bed, okay? You haven't slept at all, have you? And you're filthy."

"But Cloud! He saved me, we were bombed twice! And I wouldn't be alive at all if it wasn't for him!"

Cloud pushed Denzel's dirty hair away from his face. "Why did you run away from Tifa, Denzel?"

Denzel pouted. "No body could find you."

"Who told you that?"

Denzel kept his lips shut, his eyes focused on someone over Cloud's shoulder. Cloud stood and turned. Yuffie pressed her fingers to her lips, looking guilty.

"I hadn't meant to say anything!" she had burst out then. Cloud frowned at her. "We couldn't find you, Tifa was anxious, Shelke was anxious about Vincent, we had no idea what was going on!" She whimpered under Cloud's stare. "I hadn't meant to say anything..."

Now Cloud shifted again. Yuffie looked like she had gotten over their conversation from ten minutes ago, and was now arguing with Cid while WRO Captains of the Guards filtered into the meeting room. It was another few moments before Reeve and Shelke finally came into the room.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Reeve said blithely, "had some other business to attend to. Please, everyone, have a seat. Shelke, if you wouldn't mind explaining to the room what you wanted to explain to me."

Shelke walked towards the monitor and stared at the screen for a moment, before turning towards the room at large.

"His name is Zero," she began in her small, light voice. "He is one of three members of a secret sect called the Shadows."

"So, he is one of these Deep Soldier fuckers?"

Shelke glared at Cid for a moment, having taken offence, most likely. "Yes, he possesses a great amount of strength and skill and is highly dangerous."

There was a murmur around the room. "So you know him personally, Shelke?" Reeve asked politely.

"I have worked with him on a number of missions, yes, Reeve Tuesti. However, the triage he belongs to were not created by the Deep Ground project directly – Nero the Sable modified and named them, and they are only answerable to him."

"Wait, I don't get it!" said Yuffie. "So that scary, mummy robot guy created these soldier people...?"

"That is not quite correct, Yuffie Kisaragi. Firstly, Nero is not a robot and secondly, Nero did not create them; rather, he _found_ and shaped them. The Shadows work under Nero. They are multi-task soldiers who act as spies, assassins, body guards and even operate as Nero's personal harem"

There was a small commotion around the room at the word 'harem' – mostly surprised grunts and chuckling – but the biggest reaction was from Cloud, who stood up from his chair so fast it toppled to the ground. "I don't believe you," Cloud told Shelke.

Shelke cocked her head a little. "Do you think I'm lying, Cloud Strife?"

"I used to know him, he was my friend," Cloud admitted, almost breathlessly. "His name isn't Zero; it's Zack Fair."

"Huh?!" Yuffie exclaimed just as Cid barked "What?" and Reeve asked softly, "Cloud, is he the same Zack you used to talk about?"

Cloud nodded. "Zack saved my life once. I... thought he was dead."

Shelke watched him coolly. "I assure you, Cloud Strife, that there is nothing left of your old friend in this soldier. He is a Shadow now, in more ways than one." She glanced around the room, then said, "My estimation is that the cell he is being held in will not hold him should he decide to escape. As I mentioned before, he is very strong and so could break out easily. Your lives are at risk."

"But Shelke," Reeve said calmly, "why isn't he breaking out? He didn't struggle at all when he came aboard and we took away his weapons."

"I am unsure why he is acting so stoic. Perhaps he is biding his time. I will interrogate him before I leave, if you like."

Cloud, who hadn't sat back down, crossed his arms. "Where are you going?" he accused.

"Cloud, please," Reeve said softly. "Shelke, perhaps you could check the DG network again also."

"Yes, Reeve Tuesti. However, I checked it last night, and it was still down. It..." she faltered a little. "I thought the server had been damaged, but the database feels empty, as if it's been deleted altogether. I don't think we can have the network as an option at this point."

"I see. Thank you Shelke, you may go."

When she left, Cloud followed.

* * *

"What's so urgent that you have to leave so soon?" Cloud demanded of her.

Shelke stopped on the bridge and turned to him. "You don't need me to handle this matter – you are perfectly capable on doing it on your own. Or so I dearly hope, Cloud Strife."

Cloud didn't like her. She was cold and small and now that the system she was always hooked up to was down she was also useless. Except now Cloud needed her to be around, because she had information about Zack that Cloud wanted. And Cloud wanted to know about Zack, badly. "You didn't answer my question," he said.

She clenched her jaw angrily. "I am going to look for Vincent Valentine," she said sharply. "For some reason, you are his friend, but you aren't worried in the slightest about him!"

Cloud leant against the railing. "That's because I know Vincent well enough to know he's fine, and he works best on his own. When he's ready to see you, he'll come for you himself."

Shelke blinked rapidly in anger, her gaze sharp. "What are you trying to say? That he doesn't care for me?"

"No, I'm saying that there is a matter more pressing here, and that you running after Vincent like a love-stuck school girl is impractical." Okay, so that was harsh, Cloud told himself, but so what! She was supposed to be helping, and instead she was running away.

She gasped, and looked away as tears welled up in her eyes. "The last time I saw Vincent, he was Chaos and he had attacked Omega. Then both Omega and Chaos... burst into nothing."

There was a pause before she turned on him, angry. "You're lucky to have your friend back, Cloud Strife, because I feel like I've just lost mine!"

* * *

Cloud Strife was a bastard. Why everyone looked to him, Shelke didn't understand.

She stomped her way to Zero's cell and slammed the key card through the slide. Then she went through the heavy door and slammed it behind her. Zero looked up from where he was sitting on the bed.

"What is your mission, Agent Zero?" she demanded in her soft, quiet voice.

Zero stared at her for a moment, before he closed his eyes and laughed loudly and gruffly. He scratched his head. "I'm not going to tell you that, Traitor Shelke, even if you tortured me to near death."

Shelke withdrew her weapon from her belt and lit up the EM sabers. "I am your superior, and you will obey me. Abort your mission, Agent Zero."

Zero's eyes flashed green, then orange. He said, "I only listen to you if Master Nero wants me to."

"I have news for you, Agent Zero: your master Nero is dead."

It took a fraction of a second for Zero to be sitting on his bed casually to be holding Shelke up against the wall by her throat. "You're a liar," he growled, snarling like a dog.

She looked down at him in boredom. "I wish people would stop calling me that; you two really are alike."

He lowered her small body to the floor and crossed his arms. "What are you talking about."

"Cloud Strife – you know him, don't you?" She saw him clench his jaw as he glanced away. "He remembers you very well. He even still cares about you a lot." She turned to go. Over her shoulder, she said, "Good luck on your mission. If I'm guessing correctly, you're going to need all the luck you can get."

* * *

The story of Zack Fair's 'after death' is best told by Nero the Sable, as Zack was unconscious for a long time after he and Cloud had parted ways on the blood-stained cliff facing Midgar. It was Nero who saved Zack in the end, by penetrating his mind during the memory erasing process, and it was Nero who gave Zack guidance after Zack couldn't even remember his own name.

What Zack did remember of his old life was only a face, and a scream, and a few bits of dialogue. He knew that the last time he had seen the boy he loved was when Zack was lying in the dirt, and the boy clawed at Zack's shirt and screamed, and screamed and screamed and it rained.

The rain had seemed peaceful to Zack, as if the world had ended, as if life would start again, as if his life was gone. Little did he know that below the ground a war was beginning.

Shinra still had control over Deep Ground, but it was waning. Scientists in the labs and the military who protected them were either found dead or had disappeared altogether. A faction had emerged called the Restrictors, who were turning their prison into a war ground.

But there was another small group called the Tsviets that was lead by Weiss the Immaculate. His brother, Nero and Tsviet members resisted against the Restrictors' increasing hold on Deep Ground. They established a following large enough to combat their enemies. It was a long and arduous battle that shook the walls of Deep Ground.

Nero took Shelke through Sector Six's Neurology Laboratories believing there to be a back corridor that would lead them back to base. Nero sped through the rooms fast, his power of Shadow allowing him to pass through doors and walls. Shelke was fast even on foot. She was arguing with Rosso over the PHS and so her concentration faltered. She almost ran into Nero when he abruptly stopped.

He was staring at an unconscious man. The soldier was attached with hooks to the wall, wires bit into his flesh all over his naked body. He wore a sort of helmet – it obscured his whole head and was beeping.

"Check the progress," Nero commanded.

Shelke looked at him. "It is too late."

But when Nero turned and glared at her she sighed and went over to the large computer the helmet and all the other wires were connected to. She typed fast as she tried to hack into the programme. Nero stood behind her and watched.

"Zack Fair," said Shelke tonelessly, "SOLDIER, First Class. Admitted six days ago. Process of Memory Erase: Ninety-nine point seven five percent complete."

"First Class SOLDIER," Nero whispered as he walked over to the prone body, "how perfectly quaint." He placed a hand on the man's chest and the Shadows spiralled around him.

Shelke looked on disapprovingly. "If you fail you risk his life."

"I won't fail," Nero whispered. "Zack, hold on to your most precious..."

In Nero's vision, he was walking upon the edge of a dead cliff. Just a few feet away, a dark haired SOLDIER held a large sword in one hand and with the other he touched the cheek of his fallen companion. A Shinra commander approached from behind and shot him in the back with a shot gun, its power throwing him to the ground. Two troops came upon him and shot him several times over with their machine guns. The vision faded in and out: black, grey, full colour.

Nero went to Zack's side and spoke to his bloody body. "Show me your most precious memory."

The Shinra soldiers faded into nothing. Zack sat up and looked upon Nero with wide eyes. "Who are you?"

"I am your friend," Nero told him. "What you see happening here is not real, you are just reliving a memory. Look behind you."

Zack did. Behind him was a rolling, consuming darkness so black it could scare even Nero, if it was Nero it was after. They looked around – the darkness was gaining on them from all sides.

"Do you see?" said Nero. "Someone is taking your memories away, and has mostly succeeded. You need to..." Nero trailed off when he realised he wasn't being heard. Zack was walking over to a body lying nearby.

Zack ran his eyes over the blonde boy's body. He touched his bloody hands to his face, neck, shoulders and chest. He began to weep a name: "Cloud, Cloud..." Zack looked at the approaching dark and shouted at it: "You can't take him, you can't!"

"Yes, that's it!" Nero said to him. He walked over and tried to catch Zack's eye. "Any memories you have left, you have to suppress them. Push them right down into your mind, let your body eat them. The machine you're hooked up to can't take your memories if you hide them."

Zack shut his eyes tight and pushed Cloud's shoulders. The hard ground around Cloud was melting, and Cloud was sinking into it as if it were quick sand. Zack cried a little as Cloud sank completely into the ground.

Nero grabbed his shoulder. "Good, now wake up."

* * *

He opened his eyes. Before him a small, red-haired child was struggling to pull a black shirt on him. Behind her stood a man wrapped almost completely in cloth. Only his piercing eyes and parts of his black hair were visible. He looked like a mental patient from a psych ward...

What was going on? He moaned – his head hurt. Where was he? Who were these people? Who –

"Who am I?" he whispered.

The man leaned forward, his eyes gleeful and mad. "You are my most prized warrior," he said. Though his mouth was hidden, his eyes seemed to smile. "I shall call you Zero."

* * *

When Zero awoke it was to find that his cell door was open, and his weapons and armour had been laid out on the floor.

He swallowed thickly and looked upon the man standing in the doorway. Cloud sighed and looked away. He seemed sad.

As Zero fastened his gauntlet Cloud said, "I know you're here for me. If you were here for anyone else you would have killed them by now." Zero looked at him – he seemed to be gathering his resolve. They looked each other in the eye, Zack calculating and Cloud disheartened. "I... We..." Cloud faltered.

"We should fight outside, off the ship. I don't want anyone to be h-hurt." The last word was barely whispered as he turned and walked away. Zero finished putting on his gear and picked up his large sword. The hard weight of it brought him comfort and courage, though Zero felt a sudden burst of hate for himself. He felt prickling behind his eyes and he closed them.

"This is my mission," he whispered to himself. "My mission, my..." He opened his eyes once more and knew right then that he wanted to die.

* * *

It was night.

They faced each other – it was the final showdown. As Zero took his favourite fighting stance, Cloud swung his sword around in a defensive position: sword horizontal guarding his chest.

Zero frowned and blinked several times in surprise. "I'm giving you the chance to fight me!" Zero shouted at him. "I'm supposed to be assassinating you, yet I wanted to fight you fairly."

"Don't do me any favours, Zack!" Cloud shouted back angrily.

"Get into battle position and FIGHT ME!" Zero screamed at him in sudden fury. He raised his sword threateningly and took a few steps towards him. Behind Cloud the lights of Shera shined upon him, turning his hair to gold.

Cloud took a few steps back as Zero approached him, as if he were frightened. Though Cloud couldn't have been frightened of Zero, if what the DG file said about Cloud Strife was true: strength and power surpassing even Sephiroth. So why was Cloud retreating as Zero approached?

"Fight me!" Zero repeated. "Fight me, fight me, fight me!"

"NO!" Cloud burst out. "I don't want to hurt you, Zack!"

Zero stopped, his grip on his sword faltering. "Fight me, please," Zero begged. "I want you to kill me."

Cloud shook his head in despair. Then the rain started to fall, softly at first, then a little heavier. Zero gasped as the cold drops touched his neck, reminding him of his own mortality.

"My mission..." Zero said softly, "my mission as a Shadow is to assassinate the leader of AVALANCHE, one of three factions responsible for impeding Weiss's great plan of exterminating the human race – "

"Stop it," said Cloud.

"AVALANCHE is allied strongly with a human defence group known as the World Regenesis Organisation. The leader of AVALANCHE is Cloud Strife, who possess great power and will, and who was able to kill Sephiroth three times –"

"I said stop it – "

"- Consequently destroying Project S – "

Cloud punched him in the face. Zero stumbled, shocked. Then he repeated it again: "Fight me."

Cloud threw his sword to the ground, rain running down his face. He pushed Zero, once, then again, his mouth curved downward in anger. Cloud slapped his face then punched him in the stomach, which was when Zero fought back, smacking him in the head then pushing Cloud to the ground.

They fought like a couple of farm boys rolling around in the hay: neither really hurting the other, yet they fought with anger and shame. Cloud rolled on top of Zero then Zero pushed Cloud off and sat on top of him, aiming to punch his face. They were soaking wet and slipping against each other, losing grip.

Finally Zero jumped off and dived for his abandoned sword. Cloud saw what he was doing and so too did the same.

Zero was super-human fast just like Cloud was, so half a second was all it took for Zero to be far away then right in front of Cloud, sword raised.

Cloud defended, blocking Zero's every swing, every attack. Fury, desperation and rain obscured Zero's vision and Cloud was fast, dodging. Cloud never attacked Zero, only defended, and it made Zero even angrier. He was getting sloppier and sloppier so all Cloud had to do was side step away from Zero's attacks.

But it wasn't all in Cloud's favour: Cloud was being pushed back further and further until he was at the shore of the sea. Zero clenched his fist and cast Bolt 3. Cloud shouted when it hit and fell back into the water. He struggled to get back on his feet, but as he did, he summoned.

Levianthan rose from the sea depths tall, long and magnificent. It hissed indignantly, as behind them Tsunami grew taller and taller.

It was all in slow motion for Zero. He stood on the shore and stared as Cloud, clothes and hair matted to his body and face, watched Zero in anguish, water rising higher and higher behind him. Then Cloud disappeared into the water and Zero was looking at the great aqua wall, the way it curved in the air, before it crashed into him.

Afterwards, Zero lay on the grass near the sand, breathing hard. He stood slowly and walked over to where his sword had been tossed by the wave. There was silence.

Cloud stood knee deep in the water, lips parted and staring intensely at Zero. He looked back as he raised his sword, once again in an attack stance.

Cloud looked resigned. He too unsheathed his sword and stood in the attack position.

Zero yelled and ran at Cloud, sword high and ready to come down on him –

It wasn't Cloud's blood that sprayed the air and stained the water. Cloud grimaced, his weapon cut right through Zero's stomach and out the other side. Zero still had his sword raised, but his arms gave out as he coughed up blood, some of it was spat on Cloud's cheek. Cloud pulled the sword out of Zero's body and he fell to his knees in the ocean. Even with the rain, even though his vision was fading at the edges... he knew that Cloud was crying.

Zero felt himself fall sideways, but Cloud caught him before he did fall, holding Zero close to his chest. "Zack," he cried, "I'm sorry!"

"Thank you," Zero said, blood running down his chin. "Now I can die happy... in your arms."

"You're not going to die," Cloud said with forcefulness. Zero felt him summon green magic, and then Zero cried out in excruciating pain as his large wound started to heal, flesh, veins and bone knitting itself back together.

Zero blinked several times, feeling neither exhausted nor like he was about to die. "You fucking..." he muttered, "FullLife Materia. Is there anything you _don't_ own?"

Cloud looked down at him, wiping blood from Zero's chin. "No," he said honestly.

The sea lapped softly at them. There was a moment, and then Cloud and Zero looked away from each other in sudden embarrassment. It had just occurred to them at the same time that Cloud had just lovingly touched Zero's chin, and there was the thing Zero had said about dying happy in Cloud's arms. And then there was the fact that Zero was _in Cloud's arms_ -

They broke away from each other abruptly, standing up.

"Well," said Zero, fiddling with his belts, "I'm glad we had that very manly sparing session and I feel very grown up now."

Cloud turned to him and stared.

"It was a joke," said Zero, a bit nervously.

"Yeah, I know, that's what... surprised me... um," Cloud dithered. "Er, I'm cold, let's go back to the Shera."

Zero nodded, grinning. He hadn't grinned in a long time, so it felt a little funny to do so. "Sounds good," he said. "Besides, I'm starving."

He turned to go, but stopped when Cloud said, "Zack..."

Zero looked over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

Cloud bit his lip a little, hesitant. "What about your mission?"

"I..." He glanced down. "I failed my mission." He looked up at Cloud and smiled sadly. "It was the last mission Master Nero gave me before he died, so, now that I've failed it, I have nothing left to... pursue."

Cloud sloshed through the water towards Zero. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll find something." Cloud gave him a small smile. "Let's go."

Zero watched Cloud walk away a little before following him towards the airship. Yeah, he thought, there _is_ something I could pursue. He stared at Cloud's back as the blonde walked, several paces ahead. Look back, thought Zero, look back at me.

Cloud looked over his shoulder. "So, what do you feel like eating?"

**To be continued...**

* * *

Author's Notes: I get really frustrated with in that I had to re-upload this fic _again_ due to formatting problems. It was fine on preview but viewing the final product I found that had deleted all my paragraph breaks so this chapter probably made no sense!

If you find problems in ppl's fics please review and let them know cause sometimes it's not their fault directly. **huff**

Anyway I really enjoyed writing this after not writing anything fiction in a long time. I really love the concept of Zack coming back to life after all Cloud's been through, and what's more I can now add more canon to the mix thanks to Dirge of Cerberus.

Please review! I really like reviews, they're great! Makes me happy, they do.


	2. Hero

**The Shadows Three**

**File 2: Hero**

Cloud watched as Zack walked to the Buster Sword and gripped the handle. They stood silent and still for a moment. A breeze blew past and stirred the dust of the cliff. The twisted shell of Midgar stood behind them like a monster's carcass, jutted bones and entwined rot.

"No, nothing," said Zack finally, "can't remember a thing."

Cloud came up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Never mind," he said quietly, "I'm sure you'll get your memories back eventually."

Zack yawned loudly, stretching. "I don't care anyway; of what you've told me none of it was very pleasant."

It had only been about a week since Zack had come back into Cloud's life, but already they were friends. Cloud wasn't completely sure if they had been best friends back in the 'old days' but he was sure they'd be good friends now. It was just a little awkward, that's all.

Zack seemed pretty normal and sometimes said funny things, and Cloud always laughed at his stupid jokes. They ate together in the day and drank together in the night. It was a kind of pleasant company Cloud had forgotten existed. Zack would often accompany Cloud on his trips across the continent on the Fenrir.

"I died here?" asked Zack, now, on the cliff facing Midgar. "Ouch!"

Cloud smiled at him, but felt ill at ease suddenly, as if someone was watching them.

He was right.

* * *

Hero stood on a higher part of the cliff far enough away not to be noticed instantly, but close enough that she had a good view of them. She tossed blonde hair away from her eyes and smirked as she lifted her bazooka and aimed.

Cloud turned his head, saw her, then shouted "Get down!" as he grabbed Zack and pushed him to the ground. They rolled, Cloud ending up on top to shield Zack. The rocks behind them exploded on impact, dirt and gravel spraying out over them.

Cloud and Zack breathed heavily; Cloud had almost his full weight on Zack. Zack swallowed thickly, and wouldn't look Cloud in the eye.

Meanwhile, Hero was disappointed but unsurprised. She had mechanical wings like her master Nero had had, only red. She used them to fly over and touch down beside them.

Cloud and Zack got up instantly. "_You!_" they exclaimed at the same time. "You stupid bitch, why'd you do that for?" Zack added.

"Agent Zero," Hero drawled, her voice low and predatory like a lioness, "you have been a bad boy, haven't you?" She paced around them slowly, one hand on her hip and the other on her extremely large gun. She looked dangerous, and loving it. Zack rolled his eyes, and relaxed a little.

She waved a hand at Cloud lazily. "I thought I was doing you a favour; you're obviously having trouble destroying your target, so I thought I'd do it for you."

Zack looked at Cloud, who appeared annoyed, then walked right up to Hero. "My name's Zack now, and don't you forget it." He backed off and shrugged a little. "Change of plans; we're not going after our targets."

Hero raised an eyebrow. "You maybe, but I don't intend to fail like you did, Zero – oh sorry, _Zack_. By the way, how are those seizures treating you? I do hope you've been taking your medication."

She strolled past a scowling Zack and up to Cloud. She glared at him. "Long time no see, Cloud Strife."

Cloud too frowned. "Yeah, long time no see, Scarlet."

* * *

A few years ago, Cloud and his friends had defeated Scarlet's greatest mechanical creation the Proud Clod while Scarlet and Heidegger were still inside. The Proud Clod fell and exploded, blowing a hole in the ground that was the barrier between Deep Ground and the outside world. Heidegger perished, but Scarlet didn't.

She knew about Deep Ground; when she was working for Shinra they had assigned her to design the soldiers' weapons. So when she fell from the Proud Clod and into Deep Ground, her skin scorched and her dress half torn off her body, she knew she was –

"-fucked," she barked as she spat contaminated water from her mouth; she had landed in a large tank. "I am well and truly fucked!"

She didn't know what kind of water was in the tank that she had landed in, only that it was yellow and it smelt bad. She swam to the edge and levered herself out of it. As soon as I get out of here, she thought, I'm blowing Cloud Strife up with a really big gun!

She had obviously caught the attention of people in the area because several men in white coats came out into the room with guns. As she flopped out of the tank and onto the grid, they shouted at her. She couldn't quite understand their words but they were something like, "Get down!" and "Don't move!" She put her shaking hands on her head as she kneeled, and laughed. "Oh, am I glad to see –"

She didn't finish because they had tazered her.

She had only been out of consciousness for a minute, but when she woke again she was being dragged by her hair across rough, wet ground. She'd been gagged, but even so, she screamed.

"It's obviously an escaped sample," said one of the men. "They've been doing that a lot lately. I just don't feel safe anymore."

"Don't worry about this one, it's obviously quite weak. We'll use it for the new experiment."

They stopped, and one of the researchers stabbed her with a needle. She blacked out.

The next time she would be fully conscious would be in a safe company of Nero and Zero. They would later fit her with a Tsviet uniform and she would become Zero's partner. She wasn't the strongest, but she was very smart and cunning and it was these things that helped her to survive as an agent of the Tsviets.

She barely remembered what the scientists did to her though she was awake through a lot of the procedures. They took a large worm-with-teeth looking monster put it inside of her. The parasite attached itself to her central nerve system so removing it would be fatal. It was an interesting experiment: the idea was to create a super soldier without changing someone's DNA. It would make her see better, hear better, think faster and make her physically stronger. Unfortunately she wasn't as strong as the others, and having a blood-thirsty parasite sitting on her brain meant that she kept having to eat otherwise she would feel weak.

But she was reborn then, and she made a sort-of friend, mostly colleague relationship with Zero. She was a Shadow now, a soldier of lust and darkness.

* * *

Zack liked Cloud a lot. He wasn't a hundred percent sure of his true, deep feelings for Cloud; but at the moment, he really liked Cloud. He was confused by the memories he had, of the one where Cloud had kissed him – was that really a memory, or just a dream?

Earlier, they had run into Zack's old partner Hero (or Scarlet, as Cloud had called her). Zack wasn't all too happy about seeing her again; she had been a trustworthy comrade but she was, frankly, a vicious bitch and totally nuts.

"I guess this is goodbye, for now," she had shrugged, acting as if she hadn't just attempted to kill them.

"Yeah, bye," said Cloud sarcastically, "hope to never see you again."

She gave him a smirk and turned to go, but Zack stopped her. "Hero, wait."

She looked over her shoulder enquiringly.

"I thought I'd better tell you," he said softly, "that Nero's dead."

Hero looked away from him and to Zack's surprise replied, "Yes, I know, and I don't care."

She flew away. When she was gone, Cloud turned to Zack. "Who's her target?" he asked, his voice firm.

Zack blinked at him in surprise. "How should I know?"

Cloud looked annoyed. "She knew about me."

Zack shook his head. "No she didn't, she just pretended she did because she could guess that it was you. She's very good at that sort of thing." Zack touched Cloud's arm and smiled. "Our individual missions are usually kept secret from each other."

Cloud was still frowning. "Zack, this is serious. She could be going after one of my friends. We need to find out whom, and warn them." He shifted his stance. "And another thing: what was she talking about when she asked you about your medication –"

Zack waved him off and laughed unconvincingly. "Oh don't worry about that, she was just kidding; a little inside joke we have."

The encounter with Hero was earlier in the day. Now he sat on an old couch in Cloud's workshop, listening to rock music on the radio. Cloud was on his back, under a motorbike, tinkering with the mechanics. "Nearly finished!" he said, voice slightly muffled. "What are you going to call her?"

Zack thought about the question. "Hmmmm, I don't know... What about.... the 'Vidar'?"

Cloud came out from under the bike and gave Zack a strange look. "The what?"

"Vidar. He was the god who had slain Fenrir, so I thought it would be fitting for my bike to kick your bike's arse."

Cloud frowned. "How do you even know that?"

Zack shrugged. "I dunno, but I like it."

Cloud slid back under the bike, fiddled a bit more, then slid out again. "Complete!" he announced. Then his phone rang. He pulled it out and stared at it for a moment, then shrugged and answered it. "Er, Vincent?"

While Cloud talked to Vincent Valentine, Zack got up to go look at his new bike.

But as he did pain suddenly shot through his head and he clutched it with both hands, falling to his knees. He grunted through clenched teeth as his vision turned bright red.

"Zack!" Cloud exclaimed, dropping his phone rushing to Zack's side. Zack could only just hear him over the high pitched noise screaming in his ears: "Zack, are you alright? What's wrong?"

Zack shouted, then turned and punched Cloud in the mouth.

Cloud stood up and touched his bleeding lip. "What the f-"

Zack stood and picked up the couch and threw it out the window. He then turned to Cloud and advanced on him, his eyes bright crimson.

Cloud ran to the other end of the room and grabbed a materia from a chest he kept. He turned and summoned sleep magic.

Zack fell to the ground.

* * *

"This isn't the way I wanted you to see my new flat, Cloud."

Cloud scratched his head in embarrassment, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from Zack's sleeping face.

They were in Vincent and Shelke's new flat. Cloud didn't ask why they chose to live together but they looked happy enough. They had put Zack on the new bed they were planning to put Shalua on, and had him in restraints. Shelke shook her head sadly and looked at Cloud, who held Zack's hand in his. "He has not been taking his supplements, and he is obviously going through withdrawal."

Cloud stood up taller and looked at her for the first time since arriving. "So give it to him."

Shelke looked at him steadily. "I do not have any, Cloud Strife."

"Cloud..." Zack mumbled, waking up.

Cloud focused on him entirely. "Yeah, Zack, I'm here."

Zack smiled softly, looking wan. "Sorry, didn't mean to..." His eyes flashed red and he barred his teeth, suddenly, growling. "_I will kill you, I will cut you into little pieces..._" He burst from his restraints and in a movement too fast for a normal person to see, leapt on Cloud and pushed him to the ground.

Cloud stared up at this monster who looked like Zack but then didn't... his teeth were long and sharp and his lip was curled in an ecstatic snarl. He leant down and licked Cloud's cheek.

Vincent abruptly pulled him off Cloud, who cast Sleep. When they had gotten Zack on the bed again, Cloud turned to Shelke. "What's going on?" he demanded. "Tell me! Or fix it." He felt shaken, but also felt some other feeling brought on by the raw lust he had seen in Zack's eyes – he pushed the feelings away.

"Back in Deep Ground," Shelke explained, "he had to have supplements to keep his mind functioning. After they had erased all his memories his body was rejecting some of his mind." She looked at Zack. "He is a different kind of soldier to the rest of us because he is made up of so many different cells. Pure liquid Mythril helps."

"Liquid Mythril?" Cloud pondered quietly.

"Most of us are allergic to it but Zack seems to be the opposite –"

"-And it's extremely rare to find!" said a new voice. Cloud turned sharply. Scarlet was sitting on the sill of the open window. She laughed her terrible, sharp laugh. "Poor, poor Zero, trying so hard to be human." She shook her head, smirking, then looked at Cloud. "He was always running, living, fighting with his emotions! He cares so much about honour and _love_. Kya ha ha!"

In less than a blink of an eye Cloud was on the other side of the room with his sword thrust up against her throat. She cried out in alarm.

"Oh fuck off!" she yelled, breathless. "If you listen to me, I can help you."

"Why should I listen to you?" asked Cloud menacingly, pushing the blade even further until she was almost leaning out the window.

"Because I," she drawled, "like you, _love_ Zack sooo much – Ah! Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing!" Cloud had pushed her further.

He stepped away and she jumped off the sill and into the room proper. She adjusted her clothes and touched her hair, upset. After she had composed herself she looked at Zack, then at the others and said, "Liquid Mythril is rare but I'm currently dealing with someone who may have a decent supply of it. Of course, there's some in Deep Ground if you want to look there," she tittered. "Personally, I don't."

"What do you want?" asked Cloud quietly.

Scarlet frowned. "The Ultima Weapon and the location and access to the Shera."

Cloud shook his head. "No way."

Scarlet looked furious. "Then your male lover will continue to try and rip your guts out every time you wake him up!"

Cloud blushed bright red and shouted at her. "He's not my...! And fine, the sword and... the other thing, it's yours." He glared at her and shoved his sword against her neck again. "But you better come good on your end of the bargain. If Zack doesn't wake up normal and sane this time tomorrow, I will kill you."

* * *

An hour later, Cloud and Scarlet had arrived at a darker, more sinister part of Edge. They walked up to a bouncer who was guarding the wooden door in a back alley. "My name is Hero and this is my friend Cloud Strife. We have an appointment."

The bouncer slid open a small opening in the door and told another man inside that Hero and Strife had arrived. The door opened and they walked inside.

They walked into a long, dingy hall. They followed a man in black to a door right at the end. He opened it for them and said, "Dr Rotwang will see you now."

Men in black stood at the edges of the dimly lit room. A skinny pale youth with black hair sat at the table in the middle of the room. He gestured to the uncomfortable looking seats across from him. They sat down. "Long time no see, Scarlet," said Dr Rotwang. "How has Deep Ground been treating you?"

"Fine, thank you," Scarlet said shortly.

The scientist's eyes roamed over Cloud. "I was not aware you were bringing a guest."

"Never mind him," smirked Scarlet, "you'll be getting him for free."

Dr Rotwang smiled mirthlessly. "Do you have your list?"

Scarlet produced a piece of paper from where she had tucked it into her bra and held it out to him. He unfolded it and read it silently for a moment. When he was done, he frowned at her. "By the looks of these raw items – steel, half-compressed Mako, high-grade gun powder – you're looking to construct a weapon."

"What I do with them is not your concern." When he narrowed his eyes at her, she tossed her hair and added, "Don't worry; you will not be harmed."

He glanced down at the list and back at her. "Do you really need all that liquid Mythril?" He frowned further and leaned forward. "This is a very extensive list; I can find someone else to do this job for much less."

Scarlet stood her ground. "I just told you you get Cloud Strife for free; with the two of us, failure is not possible."

Dr Rotwang was looking increasingly annoyed. "I'll give you half a dozen vials."

"I asked for two dozen –"

"It's too much!" he snapped. He smoothed down his shirt, hands shaking, and said, "One dozen then. Patrick!" he yelled at one of his subordinates, who came forward with an envelope. The scientist pushed it towards Scarlet and explained: "Inside is an invite to an exclusive auction held at Don Corneo's mansion. Clearly I have done half the work for you!"

* * *

On the motorbike ride back, Cloud asked Scarlet who he was. "Just the sadistic son of another mad Shinra scientist murdered during the Deep Ground wars." She laughed. "They're all crazy."

"So what's the plan?" Cloud shouted back at her. They had to shout at each other over the roar the engine and wind going past. Scarlet was sitting behind Cloud.

"We have an invitation to Don Corneo's mansion tonight, where we must either bid in the auction for, or steal, an item called the Philosopher's Stone. Once we get that for Dr Rotwang he'll give us the Mythril to save Zack. We'll have to go in disguise."

"Oh, no way!" exclaimed Cloud. "I am not dressing up as a woman again!"

"You – what?!" said Scarlet. She laughed and laughed. "That's not quite what I had in mind..."

They went to Seventh Heaven and Scarlet explained the situation to Tifa, hoping to enlist her help. "I think you're pretty hot, even if you are a sycophantic moron," Scarlet told her with a little laugh.

Tifa glared daggers at her and got ready to slap her, but Cloud put a calming hand on her shoulder. "It sounds like a good plan," he said, "but I'm worried about a couple of things –"

"Yeah," Tifa cut in, still looking at Scarlet in absolute loathing, "like what the Philosopher's Stone is, and what that mad scientist plans to do with it? And what do you want in return?"

"I told you," Scarlet said innocently, "to save Zack –"

"Let's get changed," Cloud interrupted, "the auction starts soon." He sighed inwardly – this was going to be a long night, but he needed those vials to save Zack. Reminding himself of Zack made him feel better: he felt he could endure anything knowing that in the end he would get his friend back.

* * *

Cloud was dressed in a neat pinstriped suit, his hair gelled and he wore expensive sunglasses. On one arm was a hot blonde in a sexy red dress, and on his other arm was a large breasted brunette in purple. The three walked up to the entrance of Don Corneo's new mansion in Edge. "Invitation please," said the bouncer. Scarlet once again pulled something from her bra; this time it was the invitation Dr Rotwang had given them.

The bouncer looked at Cloud, then at the invite, then did a double-take. "... Cloud Strife?" he mumbled, scared.

"The one and only," Cloud smirked. "Do you know of anyone as great as me? I hope you don't mind me bringing these two beautiful ladies with me –" Scarlet and Tifa simpered and pouted "- as a personal gift to Mr Corneo. He and I go way back."

"Y – yes, Mr Strife, sir, go right in!"

They walked into an extravagant room. It was well lit with chandeliers and other expensive decorations. The other guests, all men and very rich, lounged on soft sofas with 'ladies' of their own draped all over them. Classical music played, and girls in uniform walked around the room offering champagne.

Scarlet gripped his arm hard. "Look," she hissed, "there it is!"

The items for auction were on a dais in glass show cases – Jewellery, small statues incrusted with precious stones; and the philosopher's stone itself, red and glowing. They found a large, round couch and sat down. "It's a special kind of summon materia," Scarlet explained to them softly, "it is at a point where it has no spirit inside, but it is ready to receive one. A very powerful materia, when used the right way."

"I bet the mad scientist knows how to use it," said Tifa solemnly.

Scarlet rolled her eyes. "Why do you even care? Look over there – " Both Cloud and Tifa looked over to the left, where Scarlet was pointing to a fat, balding man, smoking a cigar. There were girls simpering all over him and as one of them got up, he grabbed her bum.

"Ugh," said Tifa in disgust.

Scarlet raised an eyebrow at her haughtily, but she almost seemed sympathetic. "That's Count D'Mello, loan shark, famous for breaking the most legs in Midgar – back when Midgar _was Midgar_, that is. And Ignatius Osric – " Here she subtly pointed to a young man further away who had long, greasy black hair and sallow skin. He was sitting with an equally pale and dark-haired girl. "That's his sister he's sitting with. Inherited millions. They keep to themselves."

"You know a lot," Cloud commented as he took a champagne flute from a passing waitress.

"I used to wine and dine with the best of them. Tifa, the old man on the other side of the room with the red cravat?"

Tifa nodded.

"His name is Mr Anderson. He likes women with large..." She pointedly gave Tifa's ample chest a leer. "You should go over there. See if you can get his favour."

Tifa spluttered, "What for?"

"If he bids for the stone you can get invited to his apartment, or whatever, and steal it."

Cloud frowned at Scarlet. "I have enough money to bid for the stone."

Scarlet gave him a look under her lashes. "You might not."

People around the room were talking and laughing. The noise died down as soon as Don Corneo stepped up onto the dais. He put up his hands. "Gentleman and ladies," he boomed, grinning like a fiend around at all of them. "Welcome to my private little party. I have Sir Walter here – " he gestured to an old man behind a podium – "who will conduct the auction. And I wish you good luck." He leered around the room one more time for good measure. If he recognised Cloud, he didn't show it.

He stepped off the dais and the auction began, starting with a jewel incrusted necklace.

"Go now!" Scarlet whispered to Tifa harshly, poking her in the ribs. "And you," Scarlet added to Cloud, when Tifa stood up to adjust her dress, "you should to talk to Mr Morioka, he likes young men, especially Caucasians. You're a bit gay, aren't you? Shouldn't bother you too much." She shoved at Cloud's shoulder but he didn't budge, staring at her incredulously.

Then Tifa sighed, and gracefully walked over to Mr Anderson across the room. "Fine, I'll go," Cloud decided. "What are you going to do?"

Scarlet looked grim. "I'm going to talk to Mr Smith." She pointed to another grey-haired fat man nearby with a lift of her chin. "He was one of Shinra's men. We used to – oh, never mind."

Cloud and Scarlet stood, subtly and simultaneously ran fingers through their own blonde hair and straightened their clothes. They gave each other small nods, then turned and went in opposite directions, Cloud still with half a glass of champagne clutched in nervous fingers.

Walking over to this old Wutaian man, Cloud felt like he was walking to his death. Men around him were bidding on an ancient chalice of some sort, now, but Cloud hardly noticed. He felt sick to his stomach.

He wanted Zack.

He didn't realise it like a jolt – the realisation came more like a slow burn like hot honey melting through his chest and sticking to his throat. All these preparations: consorting with Scarlet, of all people, coming to this place, and now he was prepared to, oh Gaia, _flirt with a dirty old man._ He almost laughed. The things you do for love, he thought.

He arrived at his destination, plastered a smirk onto his face and sat down next to Mr Morioka. He leaned back into the couch lazily and gave the man a quick once over, who gave him a more obvious one in return.

"Hello," Cloud purred. He held out his hand. "Cloud Strife."

The man took it. "Mr Morioka," he said. His accent was distinctly Wutaian and his voice was gravely with age. "Are you here to bid, Mr Strife?"

The old man was flirting with him. Scarlet was right; she obviously knew these people well. Cloud leaned forward to whisper in his ear, as if imparting a secret. "I'm here for the Philosopher's Stone."

Mr Morioka turned his head so that they were face to face and very close. Cloud resisted the urge to move away, and almost failed. "I am here for the Stone, also," Mr Morioka told him. "We'll see who gets to take it home tonight."

Cloud lowered his eyes and looked up at him again through his lashes. "Sounds like fun," he murmured. "I like a challenge."

Mr Morioka was looking at Cloud with considerably more interest – he was practically enamoured. Too easy.

"The Philosopher's Stone," Mr Walter announced. Cloud head snapped up. "We will start the bidding at twenty thousand gil."

"Twenty-two thousand," said Mr Morioka.

"Twenty-four thousand," said Cloud in a carrying voice. He exchanged glances with Scarlet across the room; her mouth was tight with nervousness.

"Twenty-eight thousand," said Mr Morioka tensely. He was sitting up ramrod straight next to Cloud on the couch.

"Thirty thousand," said Cloud easily. Same price as a Gold Saucer gold ticket, so still a bargain.

"Thirty-two," said Mr Morioka.

"Forty thousand," said Cloud with a lifted chin. There were a couple of gasps around the room, but aside from that, the place was silent.

Cloud looked at the man next to him. His eyes were narrowed, but not at Cloud. He seemed to be thinking. One of the young men near him – probably his servant – leaned down and whispered in Mr Morioka's ear. Mr Morioka held up a hand to silence him and the boy stood back.

"Forty-one thousand," said Mr Morioka.

"Forty-two," said Cloud.

"Forty-three."

"Forty-four."

"Forty-five." Morioka.

"Forty-six." Cloud.

"Forty-seven – "

The people in the room were watching the exchange like a tennis match: heads going back and forth.

"Forty-eight," said Cloud.

"Fifty thousand!" Mr Morioka boomed.

Cloud bit his lip. Someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder and he turned in his seat to see that Tifa had snuck over. She gave him a quick, desperate shake of her head.

He turned back to the room and said nothing.

Everyone stared.

"Fifty thousand going to the gentleman in the black suit," announced Mr Walter. "Going once – going twice – "

Cloud closed his eyes.

"Sold!"

* * *

After the auction and the items had been put into a safe room, people got up to mingle and drink a lot. Cloud stood to the side and sipped his own drink.

Scarlet came over. "Tifa is very popular this evening," she observed with a little titter. They watched as Tifa was chatted up by two men across the room. She seemed to be taking it in stride.

Scarlet turned to him fully. "Plan B?" she asked him in a low, sharp voice.

Cloud was torn; he felt his face twitch. "Fine."

She watched him. "There are rooms upstairs. The Crimson Room is empty, I've just checked."

"I'm on it," said Cloud as he moved away.

Hoping to get the deed over and done with, Cloud strode quickly over to Mr Morioka and murmured into his ear, pressing close, "Congratulations."

The man looked at him with a smirk. "Better luck next time, Mr Strife."

Cloud caught his eyes and held them. "I'm going to the Crimson Room, alone." Then he turned and went up the stairs. He went into the room and sat down on the luxurious bed. He only had to wait five minutes before Mr Morioka came in.

He grabbed Cloud's tie and Cloud looked up into his face. "How much?" Mr Morioka asked him.

Cloud swallowed. "Two thousand an hour."

The older man raised an eyebrow.

Cloud gave a half-shrug. "I'm very good," he said.

Cloud stood, pressed Mr Morioka back a little as if to undress himself, then punched him in the face.

Six minutes to midnight: Cloud bent over the prone body and found the key in Mr Morioka's right pocket. It was attached to a large red key ring that was embossed with a gold number seven. He left the room. Once on the landing, he leaned over the railing and gave both Scarlet and Tifa a significant look in turn, which they caught. He moved away.

Five minutes to midnight: Cloud entered the safe room, poker-faced, even when the very large, very tall guards standing in front of the safes glowered at him. He casually held up a fist, then let two fingers uncurl. The red and gold '7' key ring hung dangling from his other fingers. He smirked.

Four minutes to midnight: As Cloud gracefully stepped down the stairs; Mr Morioka burst out of the Crimson Room with a purple eye and screamed, "GUARDS!"

Three minutes to midnight: Cloud had punched seven men and kicked four. Scarlet's assault tally was at about eight, and Tifa nine. Cloud wished he had his sword, but then again, kicking arse with two hot girl-fighters was, well, surprisingly fun.

Two minute to midnight: Scarlet threw a guard over her shoulder, and Tifa scissor kicked another into the air. The two women were side by side but facing opposite directions. The two guards were flown into the air in large arcs. Scarlet and Tifa grinned at each other.

One minute to midnight: The three of them had made it to the foyer; it wouldn't take much to get out the door but they were still surrounded by men. "Ready to make a break for it?" Cloud asked. The women nodded.

Midnight.

"WOOOOOHOOOOO!" Scarlet yelled into the night air as they sped down the street. She was sitting behind Cloud on the Fenrir, while Tifa was on the Vidar.

Tifa laughed loudly into the night.

Cloud smiled.

* * *

They were back in the alleyway, parked metres away from the entrance to Dr Rotwang's hideout.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Tifa grimly.

And just like that, the euphoric camaraderie they had created blew out like a light.

Scarlet squinted at her in anger and incredulousness. "I cannot believe you just _fucking_ said that! It's a bit late to be growing a set of morals – "

"We don't know anything about this Dr Rotwang," Tifa persisted. "He could be a bad person and we're about to just pass over a very powerful materia."

"I don't care if he's Sephiroth incarnate; we have a deal to uphold."

"Tifa has a point," Cloud conceded.

Scarlet transferred her glare to Cloud. "If this upsets your sentimentality then by all means step away – I could use a nice set of Mythril." She clenched her jaw and held and her hand. "This was my deal in the first place. Give me the Stone."

Cloud looked away from Tifa's stare and pulled the Stone from his pocket. "I still want the Mythril," Cloud told Scarlet as he handed the item over. He threw Tifa an apologetic look. "I'm doing this for Zack."

Tifa was still looking at him even as Scarlet walked away and through the entrance to the hideout.

"You're doing this for Zack," Tifa repeated flatly, after a moment.

Cloud shifted his stance uncomfortably. "He's my friend – I love him."

When Cloud looked at her face, he saw that her expression had crumpled. It was such a painful expression, but he forced himself not to look away, to hold firm.

"You... love him," said Tifa quietly.

Cloud cleared his throat. "I'm sorry."

Tifa heaved a huge sigh and finally looked away. "I know you. I know you'd do anything for your friends – "

"Tifa – "

"Let me finish," she said tightly. "But for how much, at what cost? How far are you willing to go, Cloud? Because we're meddling in dangerous business, now, and there's no turning back from it."

He lifted his chin and looked her straight in the eye. "I would do anything for my friends – for Zack. Anything."

One awkward moment later, Cloud stepped away, pulled out his PHS and made a phone call.

* * *

Cloud watched as Shelke slowly injected Zack with a Mythril-filled syringe. It was only them in the room. After she was done, Cloud touched Zack's shoulders, looked into his quietly sleeping face and shook him gently.

He straightened and glanced at Shelke. "When will he wake up?" he asked her.

"Minutes, at most an hour," she answered in her toneless voice. She turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Cloud gazed down at Zack's pale face again. He softly touched Zack's forehead and hair.

"Forgive me," Cloud whispered, then leant down and kissed his lips.

They were soft and warm. Eyelids fluttering, Cloud pulled away.

The door banged open and Cloud turned. Scarlet leaned against the doorjamb, her expression stern then smoothing to something close to sympathy. "He awake?" she asked.

Cloud shook his head.

Scarlet took a deep breath and broke eye contact to gaze around the room in disinterest. "The sword."

"Secured at my place. You can come pick it up tomorrow."

She nodded thoughtfully and looked at him again. She studied him. "And the Shera?" she murmured eventually.

"On its way." He looked out the window. "I can see it from here." And he could – they both could – see the Shera fly over the horizon."

When Cloud turned back to her she was smirking. "Grand," she drawled. "See you tomorrow." She waved her hand lazily in goodbye and left.

"Cloud?" Zack croaked.

Cloud turned back to his friend and grinned down at him. Zack was awake, but he was frowning at the door Scarlet had just left by.

"Was that – "

Cloud touched his shoulder. "Zack," he said affectionately. Zack blinked up and him and smiled.

"You gave me such a fright – you were out for a day." Cloud cleared his throat. "How are you feeling?"

Zack's smile widened into what was very close to being a leer. "Better now you're here."

Cloud raised his eyebrows, trying not to blush. Then he laughed a little. When Zack tentatively sat up in bed, Cloud threw his arms around his shoulders in a hug, burying his face in Zack's shoulder.

After a shocked moment, Zack returned the embrace.

* * *

Scarlet bordered a strangely silent and disserted airship. After navigating the many corridors, she found her target sitting in a computer room, looking composed in his usual suit and surrounded by equipment.

She shut the door and locked it behind her, then pulled out one of the handguns strapped to a thigh and twirled it gracefully on one finger. Her high-heeled boots clicked on the metal floor. "Hello, Reeve, you're looking well."

Reeve nodded, blasé. "And you are looking as lovely as ever, Scarlet. Or should I say, Agent Hero?"

"Scarlet is fine," she said lightly, then lifted the gun and shot him in the head.

Reeve's head threw back sharply on impact. Nothing happened for a moment. Scarlet was about to turn to leave when Reeve moved.

He seemed to – open up. He made a whirring noise as his chest opened like a metal cupboard. Scarlet stared, wide-eyed as Cait Sith jumped out of the fake Reeve's mechanical chest. The toy cat made an 'oof' sound as it jumped onto a computer-laden table.

"That wasn't very nice!" Cait Sith told her.

Scarlet clenched her jaw, furious, and crossed her arms, gun held casually against her arm. She shook her head slowly. "You were always such a coward, Reeve."

Cait Sith waved his arms in a silly little dance. "Aye, but we like to call it self-preservation!" He hopped over to a computer close to Scarlet and turned it on.

The image on the screen was of Reeve's head and shoulders, obviously filming live via webcam. Scarlet gave him a vicious look. Reeve only shook his head at her as if he was a teacher and she was a student he was disappointed in. "Naturally Cloud alerted me to your coming here," he told her. "He suspected your motives were hardly friendly, and I see you have proved his judgement correct."

"Hmm. And I suppose you're at an undisclosed location, far from here and safe and sound?"

"Of course," said Reeve agreeably, inclining his head.

"You're a bastard."

"I'm not the one holding a recently fired gun, Scarlet. And that is not the reason I wanted to talk to you this morning."

Scarlet glowered at him. Reeve made it sound like _he_ had invited _her_ here. Typical Shinra politician. "Is that so?" she drawled.

"You're a weapons expert, and I remember you being very loyal to Shinra when you were in their employ. Today was demonstration enough of that." He smiled kindly at her and she narrowed her eyes. "I wish to offer you employment under the WRO."

Her eyebrows shot up at that. Well... how intriguing.

"Go on," she impelled.

* * *

Dr Rotwang was in his lab-come-prison cell. It was a laboratory for him; prison cell for the slight man chained to the wall by the neck. He examined the VHS tape for a moment before pushing it into the player and switching on the old television. The black and white surveillance footage of the sparsely furnished room started to play. In that room, Dr Rotwang himself was talking to a blonde woman in a shiny dress.

He stepped back from the screen so his prisoner could watch, too. The woman on the screen handed over a materia, then the doctor on the screen gave her a large case in turn.

Dr Rotwang smirked over at the man chained. His prisoner was sitting on the cold stone floor, head slightly bowed and silver hair falling into his eyes; but the doctor knew he was watching the scene on the monitor. Dr Rotwang chuckled low in his throat and pulled the Philosopher's Stone from his lab coat pocket, tossed it into the air once and caught it.

"Do you recognise the woman on the screen?" he asked conversationally. His prisoner didn't move except for his eyes: they slid from the TV to Rotwang's face.

Rotwang cocked his head to the side and pouted in mock-sympathy.

"She's a friend of yours, isn't she, Agent Aero?"

**To be continued...**

Please review!


End file.
